new honda crf 450L next year
 

so next year will be really interesting, new yamaha T7, new ktm 790 adventure and new honda crf 450L dual sport with longer service interval, weight 289 lb (131kg)

https://www.upshiftonline.com/bikes-...-model-release

https://thumpertalk.com/articles/hon...l-launch-r871/

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...RF450L_RHP.jpg

There's been a very similar 'street legal' CRF 450 RXL racer around for a couple of years in the UK. See pic.
Looks near identical to this 'new' one, both based on the 450R.
It's possible America never got the 450RXL which is why they're getting so excited.

It's not the softer tuned, bigger version of the 250L trail bike I was hoping for.
It's more like a 'red 450EXC' or WR450, but that could be good enough for some.

It seems to me that the engine is just slightly modified crf450x. The compresion ratio is the same. Service intervals will be adequate.


It is not a stonger version of crf250l that we all were waiting for...

you're probably right, looks like crf450x "tuned" for European market,
but over 12 kg more of street @#$? :) They promise longer service interval though, so maybe takes more oil in.

Im afraid youre very corrcet about this one. 2,1 gallon tank (US gallon) price 10600 USD, its an enduro bike, not a potential travel bike. What are the service intervals btw?

Disappointing from Honda this time....:(

25 HP and oil & filter changes every 1000 kms/620 miles???doh

2019 Honda CRF450L Review of Specs / Features + R&D Info | All-NEW Dual-Sport Motorcycle!

You quoted correctly but surely a typo - more like 45+.

Anyway, it means we can now put the idea of a CRF450L travel bike out of our minds and all settle for a nice Himayalan ;-)

I think I will go for an old-fashioned Bullet...

not a typo, just corked street legal specs, same with ktm for instance.
I couldn't ride it until dealer removed emission nonsense stuff.

I think you are right.


Based on the new ~60hp 450R they say, but massively detuned to make a tad more hp than a 250L - but with 40% more torque. Nice.
But then it gets a '7.6L titanium tank', dirt racer looks but no ABS (mandatory for EU OTR, no)?

All seems very odd, but should be amazingly economical.

Perhaps a rally-ised CRF450L 'Africa Single' coming soon – once they win the Dak.

More interesting speculation

I admit I am slightly more interested. A low-tuned and therefore reliable long-distance motor inside a great chassis. I recall thinking that of the XR650L (after previous Teneres).

My PoV here

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Looks like a mini sub industry will crop up to bring this new CRF450L to life.
But will it be worth it? Already see problems selling it as a dual sport with massive 37" seat height! Right away, Honda has limited their market. Dirt bikes sales still suck in this segment. Dual sport doing better, but this bike may not attract the hordes they hope for.

Next is the price. Absurd. At least $2K too high, IMO.

If in the market for such a bike I'd prefer to start with a CRF250L or WR250R and upgrade to a 350cc (or whatever)power up kit. Not that expensive to do and some kits are proving quite reliable long term.

With current 250's, aftermarket support is already there, so no waiting for important upgrades which will take Honda and aftermarket years to achieve.

But I'm glad to see Honda launch this boat. It will have to cross an ocean to get where it needs to be. But the world has waited for a 450 dual sport from the big Four for about 10 years now.

This would be the PERFECT time for Suzuki to finally step up and do their long promised major revision of their old DRZ400S. A Suzuki rep (corporate guy from Brea,CA HQ) said this bike was coming back in .... 2007! doh

Imagine a modernized, all new DRZ400 or 450. Suzuki could do a full "Adventure" version or Rally version. bier

fwiw. I speculated that this new Honda is likely to have the same sort of short-throttle stop that the Euro-homologated WR450F comes with, and also KTM EXCs (although these are almost always removed prior to actual sale/delivery) - it's a way to keep the drive-by noise low on competition-enduro derived machines, by restricting the maximum RPM mechanically.

Sure enough, someone better than me at maths over on ADVrider crunched the number recently:

Which would certainly suggest that while this bike may only make a 'maximum' of 25bhp and 32Nm of torque, it's at 5,500rpm - nowhere near the actual redline this machine is capable of.

De-restricted I can't see how this engine would make less than the mid 40s bhp, and offer a similar improvement in torque higher up the rev range too.

Jx

Both WR Yamaha's (250 and 450) in USA also came restricted. My '07 was a Carb version and not only restricted at throttle stop but also electronically. You had to cut "the gray wire" to get the right ignition curve. Better but you weren't done yet.

Then ... you had to change out the stock (very mild) needle, change are air or leak jets and such ... and finally ... the thing made A LOT more horsepower than stock bike.

As I said in post above ... a mini industry could arise in derestricting these new CRF450's. :D

And I think you and others are correct in that 40 HP is totally doable on that bike since the full race version makes over 60 HP.

I'm guessing that clever tuners will quickly figure in a hotter cam and high comp piston into the mix. top it off with different F.I. map and better breathing.

:D

The problem with this calculation is that Honda hasn't told us what rpm the HP and Torque numbers occur at. Peak torque and HP seldom if ever occur at the same RPM.In order to solve the above equation for RPM, we would have to know torque and HP at the same RPM, or peak torque and HP at their different RPM, and that is not provided by Honda in anything I have seen yet.

Inertial dynos work by measuring the rate of acceleration of a known mass (the drum) through an RPM range, to get a HP curve, then a Torque curve is calculated from HP and RPM.

Think of it this way, after the RPM that peak torque occurs, HP can and usually does, continue to rise with RPM, because RPM is rising faster than torque is falling, at least to a point.

Anyway, the point is, the data we have to work with is incomplete.

Reports I have read suggest 6 gears, different cam/timing and longer service intervals than the X/R.

Not just an Enduro racer with lights..

Until Honda release official date, we're just speculating. And even when they do, it doesn't make it fact !!


I guess we'll find out shortly.

Hi Andy - that is the point of a fixed equation - if the max power (26bhp/18Kw) and max torque (32Nm) have been given, then the revs have to be 5,500rpm for those numbers to coincide.

Jx

That's an interesting article.

It looks like it's going to be a very capable street legal Enduro bike. But not much of a long distance overlanding bike that many were hoping for.

One to roll out of the van and take out for a few days more than riding it from your front door to the desert.

But time will tell....

Good article from ADV Pulse ... which normally blows. doh

They've filled in a lot of the unknowns regards power, suspension travel and the Ti fuel tank. All good.

Did anyone notice that Ti tank only holds 2.1 US gal ? :eek3:

And can you imagine how hard it's going to be for the aftermarket to fit a bigger plastic tank given the super convoluted shape of the stock tank? Hope I'm wrong on this one but it looks like a puzzle to me.

40 HP range is good, plenty for such a light bike. But will it hold up to long runs at near top speed on highway?

I worry about the massive seat height quoted and assume Honda only intend to sell to riders over 6 ft tall? :innocent:

And of course the service intervals are absurd for any machine intended to do longer distances.

So, like Ted says, a good weekend bike ... of which we already have MANY as good or better than this new Honda.

Last is the price. $10,400 USD is easily in KTM or BMW range. Bit optimistic on Honda's part, IMHO.

And lets hope Honda has solved disastrous problems with the UNI Cam heads and rocker arm issues. SO MANY failures on those early CRF-R and X engines, both 250's & 450's.

I have been witness to TWO failures, one in Baja and another in Black Rock Desert, Nevada ... the Black Rock guy was on his 3rd CRF motor. Those early CRF's really tarnished Honda's stellar record for reliability built up over last 25 years with XR series bikes and dozens of Baja and other race wins.

Word is that these issues were dealt by Honda a few years back ... but bad news tends to poison reputations long past the "Fixed" date. The good news is the CRF250L (Thai made) seems tough as nails and doing well. But the 450 will put out nearly double that HP ... so we'll see. :innocent:

It promises a lot but is maybe too focused, as previous said probably better to upgrade a 250 rally with better suspension and moderate reliabloe power ups